Daily Archives: 21st March 2016

There are several days within the sacred count of days that we could term auspicious, then there are a few which represent very special themes. 8 Kej is one of them, perhaps second only to 8 B’atz.

During this trecena we have seen two days representing very specific characters within the Popol Vuj, Jun Ajpu and Wucub Kame. They play very special parts within the story, Jun Ajpu being one of the hero twins and representing “the birth of the sun”, “resurrection of the divine”, and could generally be assigned a title of Lord of Light. Wukub Kame is his polar opposite, “the ultimate death”, and we could see this character as the lord of darkness. In the last week we have experienced the energies of both of these archetypes and here in 8 Kej, it is as if they come together to bring a wholeness to the strength of the leader. It is all very well to be connected with the light, but in order to truly serve, the leader needs to have confronted and overcome the darkness within.

The day 8 Kej is day on which spiritual leaders are made. It is an alternative day to 8 B’atz for the initiation of Aj Q’ijab, Maya spiritual guides. It is a day when things are taken a step further, a day when high ranking Maya priests are initiated as Chuchq’ajawib, the so called mother-fathers. This role combines the strength of the father and the compassion of the mother. Again we see the Yin and Yang coming together to give the wholeness required of a true leader of their community. It is a day when the whole power of the natural world, the wholeness of its strength is apparent. While this might all sound rather esoteric, one of the key strengths of the nawal Kej is its grounded nature. It is related to the four pillars which bring stability to the world, connecting the Earth and the Sky. It is able to reach the highest states of consciousness, but still able to bring them down to Earth. In this way it may pass messages of wisdom from the divine into the everyday world, to make them accessible to everyone.

This is a day to embrace the wisdom you draw from your existence in the natural world. It is a day where you can draw on the heights of consciousness you may have reached and combine it with your experiences of your more Earthly challenges. Step into the role and be the strength for your community.

Xbalamkiej, patron of the day Kej one of the hero twins from the Popol Vuh. From the Dresden Codex

Kej is possibly the strongest of the nawales, it is powerful, but in a different way to Kan. Kej is energetic, lively and determined. It is the nawal of nature, of the wilderness and it is this power that it draws on. The animal totem of Kej is the deer, but if you have fragile, new-born Bambi in mind, think again. This is the majestic stag, standing on the mountain surveying his domain. Whilst most nawales are not necessarily engendered, Kej is most definitely masculine. Both men and women that carry Kej as their nawal have great strength, although the men tend to hide their strength more. Kej women are particularly driven, resourceful and brave, sometimes to the point of being rather dominant. All radiate an aura of nobility, people tend to look to them to lead.

Kej is the nawal of the Mayan “religion”, a day of spiritual leaders, of shaman and of priests. It is these leaders who understand how to read the messages from the natural world, who help to keep our existence in balance with nature. It is a day to connect with the wilderness and draw the power of the natural world into you, to harmonise and replenish.

The number 8 is considered to be a number of wholeness. It can be seen as birth (1) and death (7) combined to represent the whole cycle of the soul. It can also be seen as the point where the four first men who raised the sky from the sea were joined by their wives and the world become whole. It is the most common day for ceremonies to be made, it is still in the balanced range of numbers and is an even number, which is also considered fortunate. As this wholeness represents every aspect of the energy of the day with which it is coupled, it is the wholeness of the nawal that is addressed in ceremony.